Three Laker softball student-athletes were named to the 2007 Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region Softball Team. Sophomore pitcher Lori Andjelich earned First Team honors and will move to the All-American ballot. Junior second baseman Kristin Moleski and senior first baseman Crista Buresh were both named to the Second Team.

Andjelich was named to the All-GLIAC Second Team and has tallied a 16-7 record this season with a 1.17 ERA and three saves. She has started 22 and completed 21 games and recorded seven shutouts. In 168.0 innings of action, she has allowed just 28 earned runs and recorded 160 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .179 against her.

Lori ended her stellar 2006 season at 17-7 with a 1.51 ERA. Andjelich together with Beth and Amanda Wendlinger, Casey Clutch, Monica Wright and Danny Murphy will now take the mound for the awesome 2007 Indiana Slammers.

Lana Armstrong is truly a devastating hitter. She hit for a blistering .367 average, blasting 15 home runs, sixth most in Big Ten history and breaking the Illinois single-season RBI record with 55 on the year. She also had a school-record 18-game hitting streak with a season slugging percentage of .741

SOPHOMORE YEAR (2006)A valuable pinch hitter for the Hoosiers • started nine games as a designated player and also saw time at third base • registered 12 hits on the season, including one home run in IU's opening series against then-No. 11 Oklahoma • recorded a season-high two RBI against the Sooners • went 2-for-2 on two occasions during the season, the first against Tennessee-Martin on 3/3, followed by a perfect outing at the plate against IPFW on 4/18 • scored three runs on the year and had nine RBI • finished the season with a .235 batting average.

At the invitation of Head Coach Bob Zivic Casey recently took on the job as Asst Head Coach Indiana Slammers.

During her four years at Evansville University she excelled not only on the field but in the classroom. You can check out some of Casey's college pitching stats by clicking on her photo.

It is no accident that during Casey's 3 years as an Indiana Slammer the organization has made great strides. Leading our pitching staff against the best in Women's Division softball her will to win, infectuous competitive spirit, and incredible work ethic has made her a wonderful example to new players coming on board every season.

Since graduation in '05 Casey started running her own very successful Athletic Performance academy where she now uses her skills & experience to guide and train young athletes. (Click link above.)

Interested in learning how get the most out of your softball talents? Casey can help and you can call her personally with any questions.
@ 765-215-6827

Wednesday, April 25Sarah Coppert Eastern IL Univ-Inf

05/25/07 - Season Wrap-up

New program records for doubles and saves and a third consecutive 20-homer season highlighted Eastern Illinois softball's recently completed 2007 campaign. Late in the season, EIU defeated the University of Illinois and nationally-ranked Illinois State at home on consecutive Tuesdays. Eastern also posted a first-ever victory over Tulsa. Led by Sarah Coppert's 17 doubles, EIU registered 78 two-baggers as a squad; ranking 31st nationally in doubles per game as of May 20.

Sarah was the leading average hitter for Eastern hitting .301, 34 runs scored, 17 doubles and 19 RBIs. She also had 9 stolen bases in 11 attempts.

Urbana, Ill. - Junior third baseman Shanna Diller and senior first baseman Kisten Martin have been named to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 team. Diller, was named to the first team and will move on Academic All-America balloting. Martin was a second team selection from Division I schools in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Diller, an advertising major, earned the team's Scholar Athlete award at the team's banquet on April 30. She is one of the most accomplished hitters in Illinois history through three seasons. Her 16 home runs this season are tied with teammate Angelena Mexicano for the all-time Illini record and rank second all-time in Big Ten history for a season. That gives Diller 28 home runs for her career, five off the school record. On Illinois' all-time career list, Diller is also second in slugging percentage (.519), third in on-base percentage (.393), sixth in batting average (.301), and eighth in doubles (23).

Diller began the Big Ten with a six-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 12 of 15 conference games. She is batting .308 for the season and .360 with an .820 slugging percentage in Big Ten games.

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Junior Abby Gross (West Lafeyette, Ind./Harrison H.S.) has been named second team All-MAC, as announced by the league office May 9.

Gross led the team in hits and batting average for the second straight season. As the starting catcher for all 56 games in 2007, Gross hit .333 including 11 doubles, one triple, eight home runs and a team-high 41 RBI.

Gross is now the career home run leader in BSU history with 15. Her eight home runs this season places her in a tie for the single-season home run record along with former teammate Taylor Yancey.

Gross broke the single-season Ball State RBI record with 41. She now has 75 career RBI’s placing her in a tie for third place in BSU history.

Gross tied the Ball State record for total bases in a single season with 93. Amy Doyle also recorded 93 total bases during the 1998 season.

ALL-TOURNAMENT: Butler had two players earn All-Tournament recognition at the 2007 Horizon League Softball Championship in Cleveland, Ohio. Junior centerfielder Jenny Jacobs and junior pitcher Nikki Naffziger both were named to the 12-player All-Tournament team. Jacobs batted .467 (7-15) with five RBIs in Butler's four tournament games. She had four RBIs in Butler's 7-1 victory over Detroit.

In January Jenny was one of 83 Butler athletes placed on the fall academic
honor roll with a GPA of 3.649. She majors in Elementary Education

Denise had a great college career at Grand Valley State. In her final season 06' she
hit .291 leading the Lakers in Home Runs ( 7 ) and RBIs ( 31 ).

In her senior year Ireton earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV College Division Softball Team honors for her outstanding performance both in the classroom and on the field.

Ireton received ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV College Division Softball Second Team honors.

Ireton, a history major, was also named to the All-GLIAC Second Team. She tallied a .292 batting average in her last season with the Lakers, posting eight doubles, three triples and a team-high seven home runs.

Sunday, April 1Abby Liden, IPFW-INF

Abby is coming back for her second season with the Slammers. Playing nearly flawless shortstop the entire season she led the team in plate appearances hitting.262 for the year. Her terrific defensive plays at short were one of the main reasons the Slammers had such a fine season in 2006.

Tuesday, May 1Dani Murphy, Evansville Purple Aces - P

Dani had a very sucessful 2007 season for Evansville with 10 wins and only 4 losses with an ERA of 3.00.

At UE 2006: Went 4-4 on the mound in 19 appearances...recorded 41 strikeouts in 59.1 innings pitched...tied single-game team-high nine strikeouts against St. Joe's...went all seven innings against Indiana State allowing no earned runs...had four RBI in a 10-3 win over UNI...had two stolen bases against Ole Miss...NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete selection.

Personal: Danielle Marie Murphy...born January 6, 1986...daughter of John Murphy and Cathy Fraser...plans on majoring in mechanical engineering.

Monday, May 28Sarah Needy, IUPUI-OF

..IUPUI’S NEEDY NAMED FIRST TEAM ALL MID-CON; HARVEY VOTED TO SECOND TEAM
ELMHURST, Ill. - The Mid-Continent Conference has announced that IUPUI senior softball player Sarah Needy (Whiteland, Ind./Whiteland) has been voted First Team All-Conference, while sophomore Cayleigh Harvey (Greentown, Ind./Eastern) has been chosen to the Second Team.
(5-10-07)

Sarah is the alltime leader in stolen bases for the IUPUI Jaguars

Needy capped an outstanding college career with her best hitting season in 2007. The speedy centerfielder finished the regular season ranked third in the conference in batting average (.356), while leading the league in stolen bases (28). She finished her four-year career ranked second on the Mid-Con’s all-time list in thefts with 96.

Additionally, Needy led the Jaguars in runs scored (20), sacrifice hits (8), triples (3), hits (51), slugging percentage (.458) and on-base percentage (.385). In 15 Mid-Con games, Needy upped her batting average to .388 while driving in 10 runs and posting a .551 slugging percentage. For the year, Needy had 17 multi-hit games and a pair of six-game hitting streaks.

Defensively, she added nine assists from her outfield position.

It marked the third time in Needy’s career that she earned postseason Mid-Con accolades. She was previously named Second Team All Mid-Con in 2004 and 2006. She is IUPUI’s first first team selection since Stacey Speshyock was honored in 2005. She also becomes just the third player in school history to earn three all-conference awards (both Devan Craig and Brandy Moser-Salisbury were four-time honorees).

..Nelson Named MVC Player of the Year, Highlighting Six Redbird First Teamers
2007 marks the first time a freshman received MVC Player of the Year Honors

Kara Nelson
2007 MVC Player of the Year

May 9, 2007

NORMAL, Ill. - For the first time in Missouri Valley Conference softball history, a freshman was named the league's most valuable player and it was Illinois State's own Kara Nelson who was honored with the award at the 2007 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship banquet Wednesday night at Redbird Arena. Also an all-Valley first-team selection, Nelson was joined on the all-conference team by five of her teammates, including first baseman Amber Smith, outfielders Jessie Buker and Kelsey Warning and at large selections Stacy Birk and Shannon Nicholson.

Illinois State had more players named to the all-Valley teams than any other conference school, but more impressively, each of those six picks were first-team recognitions.

Nelson, the Redbirds' starting third baseman, sparked the ISU lineup from the No. 1 spot all season. The lefty slap hitter ended the 2007 regular season batting at a .412 clip, collecting 82 hits in 199 at bats, including 13 doubles, four triples and three home runs. Nelson scored 57 runs and drove in 21 RBI, while boasting a slugging percentage of .563 and an on-base tally of .449. A native of Moline, Ill., Nelson led the league in batting average, runs scored and hits.

Redbird head coach Melinda Fischer praised Nelson, believing that she deserved the prestigious award in just her first year in the Valley.

Thursday, May 3Amanda Ockomon, Univ of Evansville -INF
Amanda was the starting shortstop for Evansville, hitting .311 for the season, smacking 4 home runs and driving in 19 runs. Also quick on the bases she was 7/9 in stolen bases

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Junior outfielder Laura Rather has been named to the 2007 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) second team all-mideast region.
The appointment is Rather's first all-region honors.

May 9, 2007

NORMAL, Ill. - Evansville softball juniors Brittany Herald and Laura Rather were each named First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selections tonight for their outstanding performances on the diamond this past season. This is the second All-MVC award for Herald and the first for Rather.

Rather earns her first all-conference nod in the outfield. The Louisville, Ky. native was impressive this season with her .362 average, 6th-best in the league, 10 home runs, 13 doubles, 32 runs scored, 94 total bases and a .667 slugging percentage. She led her team in runs and slugging and was second in hitting, hits, homeruns, and RBI.

Returning for her second season as a Slammer, Elizabeth had a monster 2007 Junior season for the Lakers hitting .366 , knocking a team high 10 home runs and also leading the team in RBI's with 49. Smith was one of the key players leading the Lakers into the year end Great Lakes Region Tournament championship game against SIU. The Lakers lost to the nationally ranked SIU team 10-1 but finished with an impressive overall record of 36-18.

One of the big reasons the Illini led the nation in home runs in 2007 was Makenzie Smith. A real offensive talent she started all 55 games hitting .301 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs. Far away the team leader in doubles with 16, Makenzie was one of 4 Illinois players posting a slugging percentage over .600

Note: The ASA National Website listed three Slammer Players for special recognition for their play at the Nationals last weekend in South Bend, IN. They were Sarah Coppert, Jenny Jacobs, and Abby Gross. Congratulations ladies. Finishing 5th against such great competion required a total team effort & top performance from everyone.....you all deserve to be honored and we hope to do even better next year. 2007 ASA National Championship Final Awards